Who we are
Almost everything on this page is a boilerplate privacy notice. It was easier to leave it, as-is, since everything applies… even though it may sound like I’m using the royal “we.”
I’m Eibhlin, a Celtic name pronounced like “Eileen.” (As I pronounce it, the “bh” is silent, the same as “gh” is silent in words like “through.”)
I’m an author (fiction and nonfiction), a former editor, a journalist, a wife and mom, and rabidly protective of people’s privacy. In general, I honor EU privacy regulations; if you find something on this site that seems too intrusive, let me know.
My blog’s website address is: https://eibhlin.com.
I understand the importance of privacy. That’s one reason I write under multiple pen names, each for one respective sub-genre or niche.
(Because people ask: most of my nonfiction is historical, New Age, or how-to… or a mix of those categories. Most of my fiction is historical urban fantasy, with a strong romantic subplot. Or, you might consider it historical romance with a strong urban fantasy vibe. And the occasional cozy mystery.)
What personal data we collect and why we collect it
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture – the one you gave to Gravatar – may be visible to the public in the context of your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website – something I generally don’t allow – you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
Contact forms
As much as I’d love to hear from people via email, my email server is always overloaded. The best way to contact me is through a comment at this site. (You can put “DO NOT PUBLISH” at the top of your comment, and I won’t publish it.) Otherwise, one of the best ways to reach me is via Facebook… but only if you know my maiden name, and spell it the way I did in my teens. Or, you can comment at my Facebook Page, Talking to My Keyboard.
Cookies
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Analytics
Now and then, I may check my visitor numbers. Generally, I don’t see anything personal. I haven’t a clue what data Google, Bing, etc., collect. That’s out of my hands.
Who we share your data with
I don’t share your data with anyone. Ever.
How long we retain your data
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
What rights you have over your data
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Where we send your data
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Additional information
What data breach procedures we have in place
I use standard website data protection software. Short of spending three-figures/month to protect each of my sites, that’s as good (and usually better) than most blogs’ security.
Generally, I back up my sites – including comments – quarterly.
Industry regulatory disclosure requirements
When I recommend a product, it’s usually because I actually use it myself and would recommend it to friends and family. In my reviews, I’ll usually make that clear and tell you why I like it… or if I don’t recommend it. (The latter is rare. Unless I’m really ticked, my policy is: If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.)
The main affiliate links I use are to Amazon.com. In other words, if you click on one of my Amazon links, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase. If that bothers you, but you want to check out a product or service I’ve recommended, go to any search engine and then search using the name of the product, service, website, or company.
For more information about my affiliate links, see my FTC Compliance and Affiliate Disclosure page.